Change My Mind
by scenescaptured
Summary: Meredith Grey finds herself in California after a life changing event caused her to move. Her new roommates also happen to be quite attractive. Will Meredith change her ways and will her recent history be revealed?
1. New Life, New Love?

**Hey! So I'm starting a new story, however, I'm not abandoning Words Like Knives. (If you don't know what that is, I encourage you to check out my other stories which is where you will find a story with this title *wink wink*) I am still going to continue that story I just was inspired to write this story and I got excited. Note in this story that Mark and Derek are still in college too, 3 years ahead of Meredith. Here goes!**

Meredith Grey basically had her life cut out for her. Her mother being the great Ellis Grey pretty much meant that she was bound to be a surgeon. She was okay with her fate though, no matter how hard she tried to stray away and resist her mother. The field of medicine had always fascinated her, most likely due to the fact that her mother was devoted to her job during Meredith's childhood so most of the things Ellis spoke of had to do with surgery.

Meredith had been studying at Dartmouth but due to recent circumstances she decided to move herself to California to study at Stanford. She was already off to a bad start financially. After the circumstances mentioned above, Meredith's mother disowned her and left her to fend for herself and withdrew all the money she gifted to Meredith. Now, Meredith was on the search for a roommate, someone to pay half the bills.

After searching ad boards all over town, she had collected a few numbers for available rooms. So far, she was not impressed. The first house she visited was a mess with garbage everywhere and smelled like someone died inside of it. The second house had Meredith convinced that they had a drug operation running. She prayed that the third house would have sane, cleanly people living there. Third time's a charm, right?

She walked up the walk to the front door. So far, the house looked normal. The yard was taken care of and the house was in good shape. She could only hope that the roommates were nice. She approached the door and knocked lightly three times.

After waiting for a few seconds which felt like hours, the door opened and she was taken by surprise. A man stood before her wearing plaid pajama pants and no shirt, his dark curly hair was a mess on top of his head, and a toothbrush held in his mouth. He clearly had just woken up but somehow, he still was glowing with attractiveness. Meredith took him in for a minute before she remembered why she was even at the house in the first place. "I uh, is this," she glanced down at the paper she was holding and recited the address, "1435 Oak Street? I found this ad in the coffee shop and I believe we spoke on the phone about a meeting today."

The man removed the toothbrush from his mouth and looked her up and down. "Oh, you must have spoke to Mark, my roommate. He never tells me anything, I'm sorry for my uh, lack of clothes," he stammered nervously. "I'm the organized one in this house. Come on in, I'll get Mark."

Meredith followed him inside and sat down on the living room couch as the man walked away. He turned his head to get one last look at her which did not go unnoticed by Meredith due to the fact that she was also staring. Crap, she thought to herself. She didn't have the time for guys to begin with let alone start something with her potential roommate. That was a recipe for disaster. Don't get ahead of yourself Mer, she told herself. You didn't even make the deal yet.

Another man walked into the living room, Mark, Meredith guessed. "Hey, I'm Mark," he confirmed. "You must be the Meredith I spoke to on the phone."

"That'd be me." she responded.

"Nice to meet you. So I'll show you the room and you can make a decision from there."

"Sounds good," she chirped, still in awe at how attractive these men were.

After Mark showed her the room and the rest of the house, they returned to the living room. The man who had greeted her at the door was sitting on the couch when they entered. Meredith found herself slightly disappointed that he had found himself a shirt. Along with the shirt, he had put on some jeans and looked to have styled his hair.

"I like the house and the room. I think we have a deal." Meredith told Mark.

"I'm glad. We can talk numbers later and you can move in whenever you want. Here's your key. I have to run out to the campus to talk to one of my professors, so I'll catch up with you later." Mark said, shaking Meredith's hand and scooting out the door.

Meredith turned to the man she met before and gave him a smile. He smiled back before he stood up and walked over to her, just close enough to invade her personal space bubble in the slightest. Strangely, Meredith liked it.

"I don't believe I caught your name before," he said. She looked at him and for the first time she noticed his eyes. They were a piercing blue, the kind that captivated you.

"Meredith. Meredith Grey."

"Meredith, I like it. I'm Derek Shepherd" he said with an overwhelming sense of confidence. He offered his hand out to shake.

She shook his hand, never breaking eye contact. His eyes fascinated her and she couldn't pry her gaze away.

Her phone ringing pulled her away, finally. She looked down at her phone to see it was a call from her bank so she had to answer it. "Sorry, I have to take this," she said before scooting out.

After she was done on the phone she entered the house again to find Derek in the kitchen cleaning up breakfast.

"Hey, um, I'm going to go grab my stuff from my hotel room to move in so I'll be back," she told him.

He turned around instantly at the sound of her voice and dried his hands on a towel. "I can help you, if you'd like."

"Oh, you don't have to, I mean, it's not a big deal, I mean if you want to, you don't need to-" Meredith stopped herself when she realized she was rambling. She did that when she was nervous. Why did he make her so nervous? He was attractive but she wasn't interested. She didn't need a man right now and she sure as hell didn't have the time.

He smiled at her and grabbed his keys off the counter. "It's no big deal, really. I'll follow you."

Meredith got in her car and drove to her hotel followed by Derek. They made awkward small talk while retrieving Meredith's things, occasionally sneaking looks at each other when the other wasn't looking. When they had everything packed up, they drove back to the house. Everything was brought inside, Meredith stood in the hallway outside her room, Derek across from her on the opposite side of the hall.

"Thanks again for the help."

"It was my pleasure," he said, a small grin spreading across his face. His features were definitely dreamy.

She returned the smile before disappearing behind the door. As soon as it was shut, her back fell against the door and she slid down to the floor. This man was bad news for her. It's not like she wanted to date him, she didn't do relationships. All of her "relationships" were one night stands and having a one night stand with your roommate is a recipe for disaster. She needed to focus on her studies anyway.

 **So there's the first chapter! I know it's kind of short but it's more of an introduction and I have big things planned for this story. Updates are not going to have a specific pattern because I'm super busy but I will update when I have free time. Let me know what you think so far!**

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	2. Jealousy

**I'm really excited to write this story and I have nothing to say up here so lets just dive right in. :)**

Derek watched her honey hair disappear behind the door and he let out a sigh. No women had made him feel this way so fast. He quickly shoved those thoughts out of his head and walked to the living room.

As he sat down, Mark entered the door.

"Hey man," he said to Derek.

"Mark, let's be real, why did you put out an ad for a roommate? You and I both know that we can pay for this house just fine."

"Derek, come on. My man! Just think, we have a female around here 24/7, AND her friends will show up sometimes and thats even MORE females in OUR house! It's a win-win situation. Plus, did you see how hot she was? I mean that ass was-"

"Stop," Derek said, rather sharply. He didn't know where the word came from until he heard himself say it. "We can't take advantage of our roommate. It will make things awkward." Derek said to cover up his jealousy.

Why was he so caught up on this girl? He had barely known her for a day.

Mark gave him a strange look. "Yeah, okay. But her friends are still fair game. See you tomorrow bright and early, man," he said and walked to his room.

Derek ran a hand through his hair and also walked to his room. That night he barely got any sleep thinking of why this girl was so different. Even if, he didn't have time for a relationship, or the mental ability after what happened with his last girlfriend.

Derek had dated a girl named Rose and they were engaged until she left him at the alter. He can't say he was disappointed, however. He was only going to marry her because that's just how it went. Everyone expected them to get married so that's what they were going to do.

Although he didn't have real feelings for her, it still takes something out of you when someone leaves you at the alter. You can't help but wonder what made you not good enough.

The next morning, Derek decided to ask Meredith to coffee and get to know her. He already was quite fond of her but he was interested to learn about her. There had to be a catch.

After getting ready and making sure that he looked decent, he walked to her room and knocked on the door. After a few moments she opened her door. Her hair was wet so she must have just gotten out of the shower. The smell of lavender filled his nostrils. Lavender was suddenly one of his favorite smells.

"Hey, uh, I'm not sure when you have class this morning but I thought that we could grab coffee and get to know each other. You know, as uh- roommates." Derek said.

"That sounds great," she responded and Derek finally relaxed a bit. "I just have to grab my bag."

Meredith grabbed her bag and she and Derek made their way out the door.

Once they finally arrived at the coffee shop, they grabbed a table overlooking the water.

"So, Meredith, what's your story" he asked.

"My story? It's not that interesting," she said looking down at her drink.

"You've got to have something. Why did you come to California?"

"Escaping my family."

"And why is that?" Derek asked, his curiosity taking over. He could see her start putting walls up and he knew that the subject was touchy.

"Sorry if that was a bad subject. Let's talk about schooling. Why did you decide to go into the medical field?"

With this question Meredith seemed to open back up. "Well my mother was a surgeon so I kind of had my life planned out already. I find all of it interesting and I love being able to say that I save lives."

"I feel the same way. It's a great feeling." Derek said, smiling. "Do you know which specialty you like yet? Or is that undecided."

"I guess it's still undecided. I do like neuro a lot but I guess I'll have to wait until I'm actually a resident to figure out which I like the best. What about you?"

"I enjoy neuro too but I'm also going to see where it takes me. When's your first class?"

"It's at 10:00 with Mr. Reen." she replied.

"That's my class! I'll walk there with you then if that's good with you." Derek was thrilled. He got to spend even more time with her.

"Sounds good to me," she said, giving him a smile.

Derek payed for their coffees and they stood up to walk to class. He couldn't help himself anymore, he had to know if she was available. Even if he couldn't date her, he was curious.

"So, Meredith, do you have a boyfriend back where you came from?"

"Oh, not me. I uh, I don't really date guys. At least not seriously. It's- it's just complicated," she said, looking down at her feet. Derek noticed that she was building up the same walls that she had created when he asked about family. He was delighted that there was no other man but he also was disappointed that she wouldn't consider dating. He also was determined to get her to open up to him.

After an awkward silence she spoke up. She was just as curious as him, she was just more cautious to get into anything.

"What about you? You seem like the kind of guy that attracts all sorts of girls."

"I was engaged about 2 years ago. But after that, I haven't been in any serious relationships since that."

"What happened with that?"

Derek figured she would ask about it. Luckily, he wasn't too shy to talk about it. He had gotten over it. It was a part of his past, a big part, but still something he learned to deal with. "She left me at the alter. We weren't really right for each other any way and in a way, I'm glad it happened I guess. You know what they say, a blessing disguised as a tragedy or something like that."

"You're cheesy, I like it," she laughed.

Her laugh was music to his ears and he couldn't wait to hear it again.

"Well, here's the hall that our class is in." Derek said as they arrived. "Want to meet up after class and walk together?"

She smiled at him. "Sure, see you then."

He watched her walk over to an empty seat and sit down. He was determined to get her to like him and be the guy she decided to have a real relationship with.

Later that night after Derek and Meredith had walked home together and made small talk, Mark and Derek decided to show Meredith Joe's bar. Joe's was the most popular bar for the college students.

Meredith was thrilled to go out and see what the city had to offer.

After a few rounds, the three of them were getting along great.

"I've got the next round because you guys were nice enough to let me in and show me around." Meredith said and got up to walk to the bar.

She was waiting at the bar when a tall brown haired guy walked up to her.

"Hey can I buy you a drink?" he asked and Meredith looked up. His eyes were a chocolate brown and he was pretty good looking.

Meredith considered the outcome of accepting. One night stands were her thing she should have no problem with this but what was holding her up? Derek.

Quickly she shoved that thought out of her mind. They were just friends, roommates. No more than that. With that final thought, she turned to the man and smiled at him. "Sure you can. I'm Meredith."

"I'm Jake."

Meredith struck up a conversation with the man, completely unaware of the pair of eyes watching her and occasionally glaring at her new boy toy. Once Jake and Meredith decided to leave, Meredith snuck a glance over to the table where Mark and Derek were sitting. Derek's jaw was tight, and he seemed peeved. She tried her best to ignore the sight and followed Jake out the door.

Derek was pissed. He wanted to punch that guy for having his hand on Meredith's back and leaving with her but he knew that he had no right. She had just got here and they hadn't established any kind of relationship.

Derek downed shot after shot before he finally went home. He passed Meredith's room and noticed it was empty. At least she had the decency to go to the guys place.

Obviously he hadn't had enough alcohol, Derek thought. He was still thinking about Meredith with that strange man. The rest of the night he drank from his personal supply of alcohol until he couldn't remember why he started drinking in the first place.

 **I can't wait to keep writing this story! Another update will come soon, be patient my lovely readers. MerDer has to overcome things and realize things! Stay tuned loves.**

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	3. Missed Chances

**Thank you so much for all the reviews guys! I love getting them, it really makes my day. Keep them coming and I'll keep on updating!**

All the way to Jake's house, Meredith couldn't help but feel guilty. She didn't even date anyone, not since- not since that night.

Jake pulled into his driveway and Meredith felt like running. This felt so wrong. She got out of the car and followed Jake into his house. Her legs were moving the wrong way when her brain was telling her no.

As soon as they were inside, Jake's hands started roaming her body. She didn't enjoy his touch and she had to get out of here.

"Jake, I'm sorry. I can't do this," she said, pushing him off of her.

"What's wrong? Do you have a boyfriend or something?"

"No, I just, I can't," she said and bolted out the door.

Meredith ran down the sidewalk with no clue where she was going with tears running down her face. She was new to the city and she didn't pay attention to where Jake was driving. She was screwed. After walking for a while, a car pulled up beside her.

The window rolled down to reveal a woman about the same age as Meredith. "Hey, aren't you Meredith, the new girl in Mr. Reen's class?" she asked.

"Yeah? Who are you?"

"I'm Christina Yang, I sit behind you. Hey, are you okay?" she asked when she noticed the crying.

"I'm lost and I can't find my way back to my house. Anddd- I think I'm drunk," Meredith confessed.

"Hop in, I'll give you a ride."

Meredith decided to trust her. It's not like she had any other choice anyway.

"So Christina, how did you know my name?" she asked after she got in and they started going.

"To be honest? I know who your mother is and I could tell that you were her daughter anywhere. That and I heard McDreamy talking about you."

"McDreamy?" Meredith questioned.

Christina laughed. "That's what we call Derek. And his roommate, Mark, he's McSteamy. They're the hottest guys on campus."

"Oh, I see. Well I live with them and I didn't even know that."

"Wait, hold up, you live with them?! Holy crap girl, can you say lucky?"

"Well I'm just getting to know them. It's my second day living there."

"Nice. Why were you crying before when I picked you up?" Christina asked.

"One night stand gone wrong. The guy thinks I'm nuts because I went crazy due to my severe emotional and abandonment issues," Meredith confessed.

"I see. Well, here we are," Christina said as they pulled up to the house. "Here, take my number, I like you Grey. You're all dark and twisty just like me."

"Thanks. And thanks again for the ride."

"No problem. Go have fun with McDreamy and McSteamy!" she called and she drove away.

Surprisingly, Meredith made it up the sidewalk without puking or falling over. She entered the door to find a very drunk Derek hobbling over to the garbage to throw away an empty scotch bottle. He turned around at the sound of the door.

"Meredith," he slurred.

"Derek," she answered, unsure of what he was going to say.

"You left with a man, a brown haired, wanted to punch-" He was to the point where he couldn't form sentences.

"You're drunk come sit on the couch," she instructed him. He took one step before he started to tip forward. Luckily Meredith was there to help him balance. She was drunk too, but no where near as drunk as the man she was currently holding up.

Derek laughed a drunk laugh and looked into Meredith's eyes. "Have I told you that you're pretty yet?"

Meredith got lost in his blue eyes and before she knew it, Derek started to lean his head in, his lips getting closer and closer to hers. She didn't know if it was her lack of judgement due to the alcohol or if she really wanted to kiss him too, but she gave in and their lips met. She could taste the scotch he had just drank and she was sure he could taste the tequila on her. After a few seconds of kissing, Meredith pulled back suddenly.

"Derek, we can't, you're drunk, I'm drunk, I don't even date- I have to go."

She transferred Derek's weight to the nearest wall and scurried to her bedroom. A million thoughts running through her head. Eventually, the alcohol got the better of her and she fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning she woke with a killer headache and she was quite hungover. Sadly, the events of last night were still clear as day. Luckily it was Saturday so there was no class today. Still, she did not want to spend an entire day stuck in the same house as Derek. She was confused about her feelings and his too. God, it was only her third day here! How could things get so screwed up already?

Meredith decided to call the only other person she knew in this town.

"Hey Christina, want to show me the city?" she said into her cell phone.

"Sure thing. I'll be right there."

"See you then!" Meredith said, relieved to get out of the house for the day.

After about a half hour, Christina texted saying she was outside. Meredith grabbed her bag and left her room. Before she could get to the door, she passed the kitchen. Just her luck, Derek was in the kitchen making breakfast, his hangover was quite visible. His hair was a mess and he had dark bags under his eyes.

He looked up at her as she walked by and she could tell he remembered what happened last night too. His normal vibrant blue eyes seemed cloudy and sad.

"Meredith," he called after her.

"I have to go, sorry," she yelled back as she escaped her problems by running out the door.

"Hey Christina," she said as she climbed into the car.

"Grey, how are things since last night?"

"You won't believe what happened."

Meredith went into great detail about the events of the night and also everything that had happened to her since she arrived in California.

"Wow, you're worse than I thought. But you're also cooler that all of the other girls in our class. I think I'm going to keep you around."

Meredith laughed and shook her head. She was glad she found someone who wasn't either a all too attractive male, or someone who thought she was insane. "There has to be some deep dark thing with you too. I can't be the only insane one."

"Hmm let me think," Christina said. "Well for starters, I slept with my professor. And then we almost got married until he disappeared on our wedding day and left me standing at the front of a church in my wedding dress."

"No way!" Meredith said. "Who was he?"

"Preston Burke," Christina replied in a monotone voice.

"Preston Burke?! Holy crap, we are dark and twisty."

At that moment, Meredith knew that she and Christina were going to be great friends.

After Christina had showed Meredith the cool parts of town and the did a little shopping, Christina dropped Meredith back at the house.

"I guess I have to go face him now." Meredith sighed.

"Mer, you kissed McDreamy, I still don't understand why this is a bad thing. Is there something you're not telling me?"

"It's nothing really. Don't worry about it." Meredith said and again escaped her problems by running. It was a bad habit of hers, running away from things.

She entered the house and found Derek on the couch.

"Hi," she said in a whisper.

He stood up when he realized her presence in the room.

"Meredith, about last night-"

"Don't worry about it, really. We were both drunk and people do that stuff when they're drunk. It's okay." she said.

"But Meredith I need to tell you-"

Meredith cut him off. "For real, you don't have to apologize. I understand. We can still go on and be just roommates. We can be friends. See you tomorrow!" she said before running off to her room.

Derek was left standing there in the living room. He was so close to telling Meredith that he had feelings for her but she dismissed it as being drunk. Meredith saying the words "Just Friends" felt like she stabbed him in the stomach with a knife.

What was she so scared of?

 **Again, thank you so much for all the reviews? It honestly makes my day opening all the emails with reviews. I enjoy receiving you're input and ideas on what you think is going to happen! Thanks a ton. Stay tuned for more updates!**

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	4. What the Night Brings

**Thank you for all of the lovely reviews! They make my day. Well, I have a lot of time to write because I'm at my cabin with no internet so Change My Mind and Words Like Knives are both being updated today! Go and check out Words Like Knives if you're bored. ;)**

 **Note: For the Sake of this story, Lexie's last name is Harris because her and Meredith are not going to be related.**

A few weeks had passed since the whole kissing incident and Meredith and Derek had been acting more or less "normal". They had fallen into a routine of walking together to get coffee and go to class each morning.

Derek was falling for her more and more everyday but he knew something was holding her back and he didn't want to spook her. Anyway, he didn't know how to tell her how he felt. For now, he had accepted the fact that he was just her roommate and friend.

They had become pretty good friends. Some might even refer to them as best friends. It was the closest Derek could get to her at the moment. Meredith told him about her day and her childhood and he told her about his. The only thing Meredith didn't tell him was about the past year and why she up and left Boston. What was she hiding?

It was a Friday night on campus and they just got out of class for spring break. Meredith, Derek, Mark, and Mark's new girlfriend, Lexie, all decided that they were going to Clearwater Beach, Florida for their break. Lexie and Meredith had become pretty close since she was always at the house for Mark. Lexie and Christina were the only two females she trusted.

"What kind of music do you guys want to listen to?" asked Lexie who was in the passenger seat next to Mark who was driving.

"The Clash!" Meredith suggested, knowing it was Derek's favorite. Derek had gotten her hooked on it.

"Hell yeah, Grey!" Derek yelled. He was falling even harder for this girl.

They put in the CD and listened to the clash the entire ride to the airport, Meredith and Derek singing their hearts out in the back seat.

The four students arrived at the airport and got in line to board their plane.

"Here we go! Off to Spring Break!" Mark yelled.

"Shush Mark, you're yelling in an airport." Derek scolded him.

"Dibs on sitting next to Lexie," Mark said.

Derek shook his head at him. "Obviously," he said, which earned him a smack on the arm from Mark.

"That means you and Grey sit together. Just no making out in the seat," Mark snickered.

"We're not together," Meredith and Derek said simultaneously. They exchanged an awkward look and then both looked at the ground.

"Yeah, okay you guys. You only spend every second of time together but I'll stay out of it." Mark said.

They got to their seats, Mark and Lexie in the two seats ahead of Derek and Meredith.

Meredith looked over to Derek to find him nervously tapping his fingers on his seat, obviously nervous.

"Have you ever flown before?" she asked.

He looked over at her with nervous eyes. "No, first time."

She laughed at him and shook her head. "It's alright, trust me. I've been on many planes. It's fun! The view is amazing."

"I don't think the view will be amazing when we're crashing into it."

"Derek, it'll be fine. You have to believe me. We're not going to crash."

Meredith reached out and took his hand, thinking nothing of the gesture until her fingers were intertwined with his. They fit together like two puzzle pieces. What if they were meant to be together as more than best friends? The thought of this scared Meredith but she still held on to his hand. She needed to be there for him right now.

Derek glanced down at their hands. She had taken him off guard but he brushed it off as a friendly gesture. He couldn't help but think about the possibility that it was more than that.

After they had been flying for a while, Meredith began to feel tired and eventually she fell asleep. Without realizing it, her head fell onto Derek's shoulder. Derek glanced at her asleep on him and thought to himself that he could wake up to this every day. If only she felt the same way...

It wasn't long before sleep captured him as well and they slept, Meredith's head on his shoulder and his head resting on hers.

Lexie turned around to say something to Meredith only to find them asleep in this position. She smiled at them, they were adorable together. She wondered why they had decided to stay friends and not pursue a relationship. She turned back around and lay her head down on Mark's shoulder.

They finally arrived in Clearwater and they were situating their hotel room. Lexie and Mark shared a room, and Meredith and Derek each had separate rooms that were connected by a door.

Mark and Lexie decided to go out and have lunch together, while Meredith and Derek opted to take a walk on the beach.

"I love it here. It's so relaxing," Meredith said.

"I agree. It's similar to California but there's definitely some differences."

They walked for a while in a comfortable silence until Meredith spoke again.

"Derek?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell me about Rose."

Derek was confused as to why she was asking but he didn't keep anything from Meredith, well, anything but how he really felt about her. "What do you want to know?

"Did you really love her?"

Derek sighed. "I thought I loved her. We were high school sweethearts and everyone saw us as the "it" couple. We were what everyone aspired to be. After a while we started drifting apart and fighting all the time. We never called off the wedding though. Well, the day of the wedding came and she never showed up. I later found out that she had taken off with some other guy." He looked down at the sand and kicked some of it.

"I'm sorry, that must have been terrible." Meredith said.

"Yeah, it makes you wonder why you weren't good enough but I'm also glad I got out of that relationship. If we would have gotten married it would have been a mess." He looked up ahead of where they were walking. "You know, my mom was right about her all along. My mother never liked Rose. She said that she would never make me happy."

"It must have been nice to have such a caring mother."

"Yeah, I guess I'm pretty lucky."

They continued walking for a little while, the only sound was the waves until this time Derek broke the silence.

"Why did you come to California so suddenly in the middle of the semester?" he asked her.

"I told you, my mom and I weren't on the best terms and I didn't like the education I was getting at my old college." she said, her gaze falling to the sand.

"Meredith, I know you well enough now to know when you're lying. What's the real reason?" He stopped where he was in order to try and get a serious answer out of her. "You can tell me here, no one else is around. I won't tell a soul."

She avoided eye contact and looked nervously around her. "I really don't want to talk about it, okay? Can we just go get something to eat?"

Derek gave her a look of defeat and nodded his head. They walked back to the hotel, making small talk about the weather along the way.

After Meredith and Derek got lunch and they had both returned to their respective rooms, Lexie came to Meredith's room to chat and get ready for the party that night.

"So, Meredith," she said with a smirk, "What's up with you and Shepherd?"

"We're just good friends!" she tried to convince her. "Honestly."

Lexie wasn't buying it. "Oh come on, you should have seen you two on the plane. You guys were like a picture perfect couple all cozy and sleeping on each other."

"Wait, we were sleeping on each other?" Meredith didn't remember this. She must have fallen asleep on him and then shifted in her sleep away from him when she woke up.

"Yeah, you had your head on him and he had his head on you. It was adorable. How are you guys not a thing?"

Meredith stopped where she was with her hair and looked at Lexie. "I'm more of a one night stand, never see them again type of girl. I don't do well with relationships. Not after- not after Finn."

Lexie could see that Meredith was on the verge of tears. "Who's Finn?"

"Finn was my boyfriend about a year ago. We split up and I haven't been in a real relationship since."

Lexie was confused about why one break up could make her not believe in love anymore. "What happened exactly?"

"A lot of things. I just don't really do relationships." Meredith said and went back to doing her hair. Lexie took this as a hint that the conversation was over.

"Well, I think that you and Derek have a special bond and I think you should go for it. I think that you can do relationships."

With that, the girls finished getting ready and headed to get Mark and Derek for the party.

They finally arrived to the spring break party for college kids only. There were hundreds of students. Some were taking, some were dancing, and some were at the huge bar getting drinks.

As soon as they got there, Mark and Lexie took off for the dance floor leaving Meredith and Derek together.

"Do you want a drink?" Derek asked her.

"Sure that sounds great. Te-"

"Tequila, I know." Derek said with a grin.

Meredith sat down at a nearby table as she waited for him.

Derek walked over to the bar and ordered the drinks. While he was waiting for them, he watched Meredith from afar. She was so beautiful. And her personality was incredible. He had never met someone who was as interesting as her. He didn't want to lose her though, and he was afraid that if he confessed his feelings for her that it would ruin it all. If he couldn't have her as a lover, he at least wanted her as a friend.

He took a look around at the party and noticed all sorts of guys watching the same girl he was watching. Meredith. Jealousy creeped into his thoughts. He grabbed the two drinks and brought them over to Meredith. He set hers down without a word and drank his in one swig.

"Are you okay?" She shouted over the music, concern written all over her face.

He didn't answer her.

"Derek, let's go to the dance floor."

He nodded his head and followed her without a word. They danced side by side, not together. Neither of them wanting to make things awkward.

All of a sudden, another guy came up behind Meredith and started to grind with her, infuriating Derek.

Meredith tried to shove the guy off, but he wouldn't budge. Derek took action. With one swing of his arm, Derek knocked the guy out. The music and commotion was loud enough that no one noticed. Quickly, Derek grabbed Meredith's arm and led her to a quiet hallway where the music was muffled.

"Are you okay, Mer?" he asked her.

"I'm fine. Oh my God Derek, you knocked him out." She said, beginning to laugh.

Derek started to laugh too and he shook his head. "I'm sorry, he just wouldn't leave."

"I want to dance, I just don't want strangers trying to rub their junk on me." Meredith said.

Derek didn't know what to tell her. They sat in silence for a moment.

"Dance with me." She said.

Her words caught him off guard. "What?" he said.

"Dance with me. That way I can have a good time without guys trying to feel me up."

"Are you sure?" he asked. He didn't want to make things awkward.

"Yeah! Come on, lets go." She grabbed his hand and let him back out to the dance floor.

They started swaying to the beat, Derek behind Meredith. The last time he had grinded like this was in high school.

Meredith didn't want to admit it, but she was enjoying the dancing. There was something about him that made her want to give in to his flirtatious personality, she just couldn't let herself. She was scared. For now though, she let herself dance on him, knowing that for the moment, she could pass this off as him protecting her from the other guys.

After a few songs, Meredith and Derek were both covered in sweat. They exited the dance floor and walked over to an empty couch where they sat down.

The music was blaring and there were flashing lights everywhere which made the whole night seem unreal. Derek stared into Meredith's eyes, both of them knowing that they enjoyed the dancing together. In the blur of everything going on around them, Meredith leaned into him, lighting brushing her lips against his. He was surprised by her move, but he gave in quickly. This is what he wanted in the first place. The kiss began to escalate as he pushed his lips to hers harder and harder, before his tongue asked for entrance, which she granted. They kissed on the couch, completely oblivious to everything else going on around them.

After about a minute of this, Meredith suddenly stopped. Derek looked at her and found fear in her eyes. She quickly got up and ran without saying a word. Before he could say anything or call after her, she was out the door.

 **This chapter was super fun to write! Leave reviews on what you think so far and I promise I'll update again, probably very soon! Thanks a ton guys! :)**

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	5. The Aftermath

**I'm excited to update so I'm just going to dive right in :)**

Derek ran after Meredith, trying his best to keep her in his sight. He watched her climb into a taxi and drive off without looking back. Damn it. He hoped she was on her way to the hotel. Derek decided that's where he would go first.

He shot Mark a text letting him know that he and Meredith had left and hailed a taxi.

Upon arrival, Derek went up to his room and knocked on the door that he and Meredith shared. There was no answer. He leaned against the door to listen if he could hear her inside but the room was dead silent. There was no way she was in there. He jiggled the knob once and found that it was locked from her side.

There was no way that Derek could find her in such a large area. He didn't even know where to start. There were so many places to go in Clearwater. Not to mention, so many other guys for her to meet.

That's how she rolled. She would get scared off and then she'd rebound with a one night stand. Why was she so scared of this?

Frustrated, Derek decided to get some sleep. She would have to return eventually.

The next morning, Derek woke to persistent knocking on his door. He silently hoped it was Meredith. He opened the door to find Mark.

"Mark, what are you doing? It's 4 am." Derek said groggily.

"Lexie and I wanted to drive to Ft. Meyers Beach. We heard it's fun there. Do you want to come? Meredith is on board. Speaking of which, I heard you and her left early last night. Did you guys get it on?" Mark said with a smirk.

"Mark, no we- is she in her hotel room?"

"Uh yeah, why?" Mark said in confusion.

"It's nothing."

Mark ignored his strange behavior. "So are you in?" he asked.

"Yeah sure, let me pack some stuff quick."

"Sounds great. Meet me in the lobby in 5." Mark said and Derek closed the door.

Derek decided that the fact that she was in her hotel room and safe was good enough for now. He'd have to wait for a private moment to talk about what happened last night.

As Derek walked into the lobby, he saw Meredith talking to Lexie. As soon as she noticed him there, she quickly turned her head away and back to Lexie. Great. He was being ignored.

They all piled into the car, Mark driving, Derek in the passenger seat, and the girls in the back.

Instantly, the two girls fell asleep. It was still quite early in the morning. Derek and Mark, however, stayed awake to chat.

"Hey," Mark said, "What was your deal about Meredith this morning? What happened last night?"

"It's nothing really." Derek said, trying to avoid the topic.

"Dude just tell me, they're passed out back there."

Derek sighed and looked down at his lap. "Some guy tried to grind on her so to stop him I stepped up and danced with her so she didn't have guys all over her and-"

"No way, dude, you grinded with her?" Mark said enthusiastically.

"Hush, they're sleeping. And yeah, I did. Well, after the dancing, we were over by the couches and we sort of- kissed. Like, a good kiss."

Mark's jaw dropped to the floor. "Holy crap. So what happened, you took her to your room and it all went wrong or what? Was she not good?"

"Mark, why do you still talk like that? You have a girlfriend. No, I didn't take her to my room. She ran off like she was scared. Something's holding her back."

"I wonder what it could be. I think you guys would be great together. And think about it, you don't have to ask her to move in, she already lives with you!"

"I don't know what it is. But I've never felt this strongly about someone so fast, you know? We're already such great friends. She's amazing Mark. Her personality, everything." A smile crept to Derek's face as he went on. "And she does this thing with her nose when she's tired or a little bit drunk-"

"Dude, what happened to you man. You sound like you're in love."

"I think I might be."

Although Lexie had fallen asleep quickly, Meredith dozed in and out. She happened to hear the end of their conversation.

" _She's amazing Mark. Her personality, everything..."_ At first she didn't think they were talking about her but the way that he kept trying to check if she was awake gave it away. Each time he would start to turn she would shut her eyes before he saw her.

Meredith never had anyone feel this way about her. At least not that she knew of. Why would he like someone like her? She was going to crush him when he realized that she didn't date. Maybe if she could just move on...

After driving for a while, they finally arrived at Clearwater. They decided to stay as a group this time and they had a fun day at the beach and walking around to all the shops. The girls loved the shopping part the best, naturally. Throughout the whole thing, the only words Meredith spoke to him were either necessary or just short one word answers. She was obviously trying to push him away.

Lexie could tell something was up with Meredith. The way she was acting towards Derek just seemed weird. They usually made dumb puns to each other and laughed at them together. When Lexie and Meredith went for a bathroom break, Lexie decided to confront her about it.

"Meredith, what's up?" Lexie asked.

Meredith paused and then tried to act "normal."

"Nothing is up. Why would you think something's up?"

Lexie wasn't buying it. "You've been ignoring Derek all day. You guys never ignore each other like that."

Meredith didn't answer her.

"Mer, give it up."

"We might have- um.. kissed, you know, the other night."

"NO WAY." Lexie practically yelled. "I so knew you guys would get together!" She squealed.

"We're not getting together. So not happening." Meredith corrected her.

Lexie couldn't hide the disappointment on her face. "Why not? It seems like you guys get along really well and I know for a fact that he likes you."

"I just don't date okay?" Meredith said. "I guess I like having the fun without the commitment. Now can we please not talk about this anymore?"

Lexie sighed. "Well, I think that you should go for it. I think there's something you're not telling me, Meredith because I don't know of any single girl who would pass up the chance to date Derek Shepherd, especially when he likes you back."

Meredith shot her a look and they walked back outside.

They wrapped up their day after dinner and started to drive back. The clouds in the sky were getting darker and darker, signaling a storm was coming. A little ways into their drive it started to rain and they pulled up to a draw bridge with a road block in front of it. A man working outside walked up to their door.

"Hey, can you tell me what's going on?" Mark asked.

"This storm knocked out the power to the bridge. We can't put it back down. There's other ways around it but for your safety I would say that you should get a room for the night until the storm lets up! It's too dangerous of a drive." The man informed him.

They all decided to find the nearest hotel back the way they came from.

Once they finally found a hotel, they walked inside to see if there were any open rooms.

"We only have two available rooms but they're both one queen sized bed each, I'm sorry," said the lady at the front desk.

"That's okay," Mark said. "We'll make it work." They collected their stuff from the car and headed up to the two rooms.

"Mark, can I please stay in your room tonight?" Lexie begged.

"Uh, I don't have a problem with it but that would mean that Derek and Meredith would have to share a room." Mark responded, shooting Derek a look.

Meredith and Derek both silently shrugged.

"Alright then it's settled," Lexie chirped. She obviously planned this. Meredith glared at Lexie until they were all inside their rooms.

"I can sleep on the floor," Derek offered.

"Derek don't be stupid. You'll kill your back that way."

Derek shrugged and climbed into the bed, Meredith doing the same.

They placed pillows in between them for space and shut off the light.

"Goodnight, Derek." Meredith whispered.

"Goodnight." he replied.

They lay there in silence for a while before Derek spoke.

"Meredith?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

"Me too." she replied and they both drifted into a deep sleep.

 **So the big reveal is most likely coming up next update so be ready! I hope this story is as fun to read as it is to write! Keep in mind, more reviews get me more excited to write so let me know what you think so far! Don't be scared to voice your opinion! I love you all 3**

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	6. A World of Hurt

**I'm trying to update this as fast as I can, trust me, I want to reveal this as much as you want to read it!**

Derek had always been a light sleeper. That's why when ever someone made noise in another room he woke up instantly. He glanced over at Meredith while she was asleep. He wished that he could hold her but he knew that she wouldn't like that.

Derek got up and walked to the bathroom. He shut the door and took a long look at himself. Was it something with him that threw her off? He splashed some water on his face to clean it off a little and walked back into the room. He began to sit down on the bed when he heard Meredith stir.

"Derek?" she said.

"Yeah?"

"Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, I'm just a light sleeper." he chuckled.

"I'm sorry, was it me? I snore sometimes, I might have a nose strip. I can go-"

"Meredith, you're fine. It wasn't you." he laughed.

"Oh good." she said, slightly embarrassed.

"You're cute when you ramble." As soon as Derek said the words he knew he shouldn't have. Meredith got scared easily.

She looked up at him without saying a word.

"Shit, sorry. That just slipped out. I really didn't-"

"Now you're the one rambling." Meredith said. She had completely avoided what Derek had said.

"I guess so." He said, turning his eyes away from her.

"Meredith can I ask you a question?" he said.

She paused for a minute to think. Finally, she spoke. "Sure, go ahead."

Derek looked at her again. "Why don't you date?"

Meredith had figured that the question would have something to do with that. It usually did. Everyone was so determined to get up in her business.

"That's quite personal don't you think?" She said sharply.

Derek sighed. What could be so bad that she wouldn't tell him?

"Meredith, I know we are really close friends and I love the relationship we have, but I can't help my feelings towards you. I find myself wanting to spend even more time with you and when you leave I wish that we were still together. I can't explain it, it's just how I feel. And I'm not going to apologize any longer for my feelings that I can't help. I've never felt this way about anyone, not even Rose. I think-" he paused, "I think that I'm falling in love with you..."

Meredith was shocked at what he had just confessed. She knew that he probably felt more towards her that just friends but she didn't know it extended this far. She wanted him so bad, but she didn't want a repeat of what happened last time...

"Meredith, can you say something?"

"I think-" she said, "I- I might like you more than friends too, but this is hard for me, Derek. A lot has happened..."

"What? What happened?"

Tears started to roll down Meredith's face and Derek wiped them away.

"I had a boyfriend and things didn't go down very well. We were supposed to be married," she said and she broke down into sobs.

Derek pulled her in for a hug as she cried.

"Meredith, is there more to the story? What did he do? Did he cheat on you?" Derek asked, rubbing his had on her back for comfort.

"I don't know if I can talk about it." she said.

"Meredith you know that anything you say to me will be kept a secret if you want it too. You're obviously hurt and I care about you. I can help."

Meredith wiped a few tears from her eyes and sat back up, leaving Derek's embrace.

"You might not want me as much as before if I tell you." she said.

"Nothing will change how I feel about you. Trust me."

Meredith ran her hands through her hair and took a deep breath.

"Everything I'm about to say has ever been told to anyone else."

Derek nodded and grabbed her hand.

"I was dating a guy and we were going to be married. We had dated for 3 years and we were finally going to be married. Well, even though we had dated for that long, I was still a virgin. He knew how big of a deal sex was to me and he wanted to respect my wishes. Well, one night he came home and he was drunk." She wiped away stray tears every so often and continued her story. "He came home and kissed me without even saying hello first. And then he grabbed me by the wrists and led me to the bedroom. I told him no but his grip was so strong..."

At this point Meredith was shaking and the sight broke Derek's heart. He didn't want to hear this but he knew he had too. He couldn't imagine someone hurting Meredith. She was so precious.

"He shoved me down and forced me to- well you know and I tried to stop him but he was bigger than me..."

Derek held Meredith again and occasionally placed kisses on her head. She needed to know that he was there for her and that he didn't blame her for anything.

She continued. "My first time was forced... I hated it so much. The next morning I broke it off with him and I went home. My mom asked what was wrong as soon as I walked in the door. I had been crying and you could see the evidence on my neck but when I told my mom she didn't believe me. She accused me of making it up for attention."

Derek put two and two together. Meredith's mom was a famous surgeon. Meredith always wanted to live up to her moms standards so her mom must have thought Meredith did it to get attention..

"Well, eventually I started having one night stands. I told myself that I could have sex whenever I wanted to and that it was my choice. My mom found out about my bar nights and was furious with me. She claimed that I was wasting my life and her money so she kicked me out which is why I came here."

Meredith had practically gone limp in Derek's arms and he was her complete support at the moment. He couldn't believe that the people that "loved" her would hurt her so bad. Derek was feeling a mixture of sympathy, rage, and sadness.

"Meredith," he said, "Oh Meredith, you didn't deserve any of that. You are an incredible person who should never have to go through that."

She barely nodded and Derek wiped some tears from her cheek.

"Let's go to sleep, you need some."

With that they laid back down on the bed. Derek started to reposition the pillows when she stopped him.

"You don't need those," she whispered. "Will you hold me, please?" she whimpered.

"I'm right here." He told her and he wrapped his arms around her. They lay there for a while in silence, both of their minds trying to make sense of all of it. After a while, Derek had to speak.

"Meredith, you need to believe that I would never do that to you. You mean so much to me and I want a future with you. I want to protect you and love you, please let me in."

She didn't respond and he glanced at her face. She was fast asleep.

Maybe it was good she didn't hear that. She needed to make sure that she trusted him. He was determined to prove that he could love her.

Derek made sure that she was wrapped up in his embrace and let himself drift off slowly.

In that moment, nothing could get to her.

 **I know this seems kind of short but this was a huge reveal and I don't want to spoil this moment. So what do you think of Meredith's past? Let me know in the reviews! Also, do you think Meredith will let Derek in after everyone she knew and loved let her down?**


	7. Hey Moon, Please Forget to Fall Down

**Some of you have been saying that reviews aren't working which makes me sad but I want to let you know that if you're reading this I appreciate you so much! And if you tried to leave a review and it didn't go, maybe try again later, it's the thought that counts I guess lol! Thanks for all the support.**

The next morning, Derek woke up to Meredith in his arms. This was definitely something he had dreamed of. He honestly thought he would never have this chance.

Soon the flashbacks came to mind and he remembered everything she had told him last night.

At the thought of what she'd gone through, Derek's heart began to hurt again for the women in his arms. He pulled her in tighter and nuzzled his head in to the crook of her neck.

He started to doze off again until Meredith started to shift.

Suddenly, she tried to push him off and she started yelling.

"Finn, get off." she wailed. "Please, stop!"

She flailed her arms around and pushed him as hard as she could. She was having a nightmare.

"Meredith," Derek said. "Mer wake up!"

She finally woke up and the tears started to flow; her hands were shaking.

"Meredith, are you okay?" He asked.

He helped her sit up on the bed.

"I'm sorry, it's just that my one night stands always are gone in the morning so when I woke up with someone still by my side it must have triggered memories of Finn..."

"Finn..." Derek repeated.

Meredith looked down. "I never told you his name..." she whispered.

Derek never knew how much hate he could have for someone that he'd never even met.

Derek shifted uncomfortably before standing up. "I'm sorry, you know, for uh- triggering those memories," he said running a hand through his hair. "I'll sleep on the floor tonight."

With that he walked into the bathroom.

Meredith sighed. She had finally opened up to someone about her past and she had scared him off already.

Damn it.

Meredith planned out an outfit while she waited for Derek to come out of the shower.

Digging through her suitcase, she opened the front pouch. She reached in and found a piece of paper it it. She pulled it out to read it.

It was an itinerary. The itinerary for her honeymoon with Finn.

The door to the bathroom opened and Meredith jumped. She crumpled up the paper as Derek walked out. He watched her curiously as she threw the paper away.

"What's that?" he asked.

"It's nothing. Um, are you done in there?" she asked him.

"Yeah, go right ahead." he told her and she walked past him into the bathroom.

While she was in the shower, Derek heard a knock on the door. He opened it ip to find Lexie standing there.

"Hey, what do you need?" he asked her.

"Mark and I were planning to go to this big beach party tonight and we were wondering if you and Meredith wanted to go with us." she said.

"I'll ask her. Are there any other plans for today?"

"Nope. Mark and I were going to hang around the hotel and maybe take a walk along the beach." she said. "Do you and Meredith have any plans?"

"We were just going to tag along with you guys but I guess that's not happening," he laughed.

She laughed with him. "Well, see you tonight then. We could meet up around 6?"

"Sounds good," he said before saying goodbye and shutting the door.

Meredith finally exited the bathroom and walked out.

"Do you uh, want to turn around? I have to change and-" she stuttered.

"Oh, yeah. I get it. I'll just go out on the balcony." he said and walked out the sliding doors.

He took in the view of the beach and the ocean in front of him. It definitely was a beautiful sight.

He heard the door open and close and Meredith walked up beside him.

"I'm sorry if things got all weird. I've just never told anyone the entire story before." she said.

"Meredith you know you can tell me anything."

"I know, but this is just different." she said.

They stood there for a while, the only sounds were the waves crashing against the shore and the seagulls flying around in the sky.

"What if I wanted to try again?" she said, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?"

"What if I wanted to stop having one night stands and settle with one guy again?"

"I think that'd be great. So why don't you?" he asked.

"I guess it's easier said than done."

"Why is that?"

"I want us to-" she stopped. "I want to have a relationship with someone but I'm just scared that it will turn out like last time."

"You have every reason to believe that. But I need you to believe me, I wouldn't even dream of doing that to you." Derek said, looking her in the eyes.

She stared back into his icy blue eyes. It was so easy to get lost in them.

Although she really didn't want to, she broke the eye contact. "How about we just see how things go. We'll go on like normal, just like the best friends we were before that night in the club," she said.

Derek thought it over and nodded. He was going to take what he could get for now.

They spent the rest of the day bumming around the hotel and getting some school work done on their computers.

Finally 6 o'clock rolled around and Meredith and Derek met Lexie and Mark in the hallway.

"Hey you two. Are you guys in love yet or what?" Mark said.

Meredith nervously looked down at the floor and Derek shook his head at him.

Lexie slapped Mark on the arm and he let out an "Ow!" before they made their way down to the rental beach.

The party was already in full swing with a huge bonfire, drinks, and music. There had to be at least 300 people there.

There were people making out in some spots, a huge amount of people dancing in a big group, beach volleyball, and some people were swimming. This was definitely a spring break party they were going to enjoy.

The group of four walked over to the bar and got a drink quick to kick the night off. None of them planned on getting drunk, however. They all wanted to remember having a good time tonight.

They all made their way over to the dance floor and they danced until they felt like their feet were going to fall off.

They decided as a group to go into the water to cool down.

"Race you!" Mark yelled and he and Derek sprinted towards the cold water. Lexie and Meredith slowly jogged after them, laughing.

"So," Lexie said, "How was your night with Derek?" She said with a wink.

"Well, things got deep. And before you make that sexual, I mean that it got deep in the sense that I told him more about me than I've ever told anyone." Meredith said.

"Oh wow. So are you guys like, a thing now?"

"No, no we're not."

"Oh come on, Mer. I see how you two look at each other. You guys are meant to be. And obviously you're comfortable sharing things with him."

"I don't know. I guess we will see what spring break has in store for me!" Meredith said, and ran into the water towards Derek and Mark.

As soon as Meredith got to Derek, he splashed her with cold water.

"Derek!" she yelled, "I'm going to kill you!"

"Excuse me, hun, but that's called murder." He replied.

"You jerk," she said and splashed him back.

"That's it!" he said and ran towards her as fast as he could in the water. When he got to her he picked her up and threatened to throw her in.

"No! Don't!" She pleaded and tried to wiggle out of his arms.

He smirked at her and then fell sideways, submerging both him and her under the water.

When they came up for air, Meredith shot him the dirtiest look. "You're so going to pay for that," she threatened.

"Can't wait," Derek said with a smirk.

Derek noticed that Mark and Lexie had disappeared sometime during all of this. Probably to go make out with each other, he thought.

He looked over at Meredith and noticed that she was shivering. He was too, the water was pretty cold.

"Let's go by the bonfire to warm up," he suggested and she nodded.

They made their way over to the fire and sat down on a log. Derek disappeared for a moment but when he returned he had a towel.

"There's a bunch of free towels for people to use so I grabbed you one," he told her and wrapped it around her.

"Thank you," she said. She thought to herself that Finn was never this chivalrous. Derek really was a great guy. Someone she wouldn't mind seeing herself with in the future.

They spent the rest of their time at the party socializing with other college students and listening to people playing music on guitars and ukulele's.

Around one in the morning, Meredith and Derek returned to their room. Derek went in to the bathroom while Meredith made her way to the balcony.

The party was still going down below and probably would continue until morning came.

Eventually Derek joined Meredith out on the balcony.

"Meredith?" he said

"Yeah?

"Everyday I fall more in love with you. You're laugh, the way you snore, which I found out along this trip. I know that you have a hard time with relationships because of what happened to you and you're well within your rights to think that. You were put in such a crappy situation and it irks me so much but I want you to take a chance with me. Let me show you that I am far from what Finn was. I can help you believe in love again. I can help you love me."

Meredith looked at him, the moonlight illuminating his face.

She let her actions speak for her as she grabbed the sides of his face and pulled his lips to hers. He was surprised at first but he softened up to the kiss.

His lips fit hers like a puzzle piece and they moved together in sync. A kiss so passionate was foreign to Meredith after so many one night stands but it was a feeling she could get used to. She embraced the feeling that the kiss radiated.

Knowing not to push Meredith too far, Derek pulled back eventually and pulled her into a tight hug. He stood their holding her for the longest time, just taking in her scent and the feeling of her body against his.

Sometimes the best way to show love is the small, less intimate things. Holding the person you love in your arms can sometimes say so much more than anything else.

Meredith never spoke after his speech, she let her actions do all the talking. If she had spoke, she might have let it slip out;

She was falling in love with him too.

 **AHHH THIS CHAPTER WAS FUN TO WRITE. I had some idea help from my friend , thx b. (We call each other b, don't ask why, I can't remember.) Leave some lovely reviews and let me know how you think this is going to go. Do you think Meredith will let Derek in completely? Is she capable of emotionally handling a relationship? Find out soon loves ;)**

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	8. Trust Me

**Lucky for you, I wrote another chapter. :)**

After Meredith and Derek decided to go inside, the laid down on the bed to get some sleep. There were no pillows in between this time, but Derek was still cautious to get too touchy or go to far. He wanted to prove to her that love was not like what Finn had in mind.

It wasn't long, however, until Meredith slid over to him and snuggled into his warm body. She enjoyed the extra body heat and the feeling of being protected. It's something she hadn't experienced in a while. Plus, she found his scent comforting.

"Are you sure?" he whispered in her ear, unsure if this was too much for her after her nightmare.

"I'm sure," she whispered back.

If she was going to try again, she definitely wanted it to be him.

He placed a kiss on her hairline and laid his head on hers before dozing off.

The next morning Meredith woke up and felt that the other side of the bed was empty. She sighed and got up to see if he was in the shower.

Much to her confusion, he wasn't their either. He was probably with Mark, she'd catch up with him later. She decided to shower and get ready for whatever they were going to do on their last full spring break day.

Down in the weight room of the hotel, Derek and Mark were working out together.

"So," Mark said, "What's the deal between you and Meredith?"

Derek pumped out one more rep of bench press and placed the bar back on the rack.

"Honestly, I don't have a definition for it yet," he responded.

"Is it like a friends with benefits thing or...?" Mark said with a smirk.

They began to make their way over to the squat rack.

"God no, Mark. Why would you even think that?" Derek said. "Is that what you and Lexie are then? Just hooking up?"

"No!" Mark said, suddenly offended. He put some weight on the bar and placed the clip on. "I know that in my past I always used girls but-"

"Like you planned to use Meredith." Derek said, interrupting him.

Mark shot him a look. "But," he said with emphasis, "I think this is the real deal. Lexie is, well, she's amazing. I think that she's the one."

Derek gave him a pat on the back and Mark started to pound out the squat reps.

"Would it be crazy if I asked Lexie to marry me?" Mark asked.

"No way! Mark that'd be awesome!"

"You'd lose me as a roommate." Mark reminded him.

"That part would suck but you'd be happy and I'm okay with that." Derek reassured him.

"Anyway," Mark said, "That leaves you and Meredith alone in the house together." He shot Derek a smirk and Derek punched his arm.

"You're an idiot," Derek joked back and they went back to finishing their workout.

Derek returned to the hotel room he shared with Meredith and slid his key into the door. When he entered, he found Meredith sitting on the bed watching tv.

She glanced up at him as he walked in and boy did she like what she saw. His biceps were glistening with sweat and his veins were bulging. He lifted up his shirt to wipe the sweat off of his brow without even thinking about that there was a female present. She caught a glimpse of his toned core.

She snapped out of it when she heard him speak.

"Meredith?" he asked.

"Uh yeah, um, sorry, what did you say?" She stuttered.

"I asked if you knew what we were doing today." He repeated.

"Oh, no, not yet. I was just about to go talk to Lexie," she said.

"Alright, I'll take a shower then while you figure that out."

"Okay," she smiled at him.

He smiled back and disappeared behind the bathroom door.

Meredith got up and walked over to to Lexie and Mark's door. She knocked and waited for an answer.

The door opened and Lexie was there.

"Hey, Meredith," she greeted.

"Hey! Is there a plan for today?" Meredith asked.

"Well, we were going to hit some beach shops and the boardwalk and then after that Mark was going to take me to a fancy dinner. Do you want to go to the boardwalk with us and then you guys have the evening to do what you want?"

"Sounds great. I'll let Derek know."

"Great. See you in 15!" Lexie said.

Meredith returned to the room and waited for Derek to come out.

Of course when he finally did, his towel was hanging just right so that she could see his v-line and his chiseled body.

Damn-it, that was twice today he put her in a trance.

"So, uh, were going to the boardwalk and beach shops today and then we have the evening to do what we want." Meredith said, relaying the information.

"Great, I'll just grab some clothes then," he said with a slight laugh.

"Well, I mean, you don't have too.." Meredith mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?" Derek asked.

"Oh, nothing." Meredith replied, blushing.

Once they had gotten ready and grabbed what they would need for the day, the crew headed out to the boardwalk.

They stopped at a few shops to buy gifts for their families and souvenirs to remember their trip. They were leaving tomorrow and none of them wanted it to end.

After getting lunch at a small sub shop, they decided to get some ice cream. Meredith and Derek flirted in small ways, smearing ice cream on each others noses and what not. They were both still unsure of what they were.

Finally, the group decided to play some beach volleyball, guys vs. girls of course. The game was pretty evenly matched, the girls knew the fundamentals of the game and the guys didn't but the guys were good at hitting it over the net quite hard.

Meredith set the ball to Lexie and she jumped up and slammed it into the sand.

"Nice hit, babe!" Mark yelled and walked up to the net. Lexie met him on the other side.

"Why thanks," she said seductively and they began to kiss through the net.

"Get a room you two!" Derek yelled.

Mark pulled back from Lexie, laughing. "We have one you idiot."

They finished their game and slowly made their way back to the hotel. They wanted spring break to last forever.

Well, I guess we're going to our dinner now, see you guys bright and early for our flight!" Lexie said and they parted ways.

"So," Derek said, facing Meredith, "What should we do on this fine evening?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure."

"I have an idea!" Derek said with enthusiasm.

"What would that be?" 

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

Now she was confused. "Uh, I mean you haven't given me a reason not to," she replied.

"Meredith Grey, will you go on the date of your life with me?"

She smiled and shook her head but replied, "Yes, I'd love too."

With that he grabbed her hand and dragged her out the door of the hotel. He opened the door for her and helped her in.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"You'll find out," he said with a smirk.

After driving for a while with the radio on, Meredith spoke up. "I'm all for this mystery date but is there food involved?" She asked with a laugh.

"Crap," Derek said, "I forgot about that part." He thought for a moment and then said, "Do you like Subway?"

She laughed and shook her head at him. "Subway, how romantic."

"Hey! If you don't want it that's fine. I can find something else."

"Subway sounds perfect."

They entered the small store and walked up to the counter.

"Hi," Derek greeted the sandwich artist, "I'd like a quarter pounder with cheese-"

Meredith cut him off by slapping is arm and covering her face because she was laughing so hard. It wasn't even that it was that funny. It was mostly because he thought he was funny.

When they gained their composure they gave their orders to the sandwich artist who did not, in fact, think the joke was as funny and Meredith and Derek did.

They sat down at a table and began to eat their subs.

"So, are you going to tell me where we're going or are you going to keep me thinking you're planning to kill me?" Meredith said.

"Well," Derek said, finishing his bite of his sub, "I was thinking that first dates are always so boring because they're all the same. Ask a girl to dinner and what not. I decided that this date is going to be epic."

"Epic?" Meredith questioned.

"Yes epic."

"I don't think anyone uses that word anymore." Meredith laughed.

"Well I do, deal with it."

"Okay but for real," she said, "Where are we going?"

"You're just going to have to tag along." He said giving her the McDreamy smile.

"Why should I?" She said dishing it right back to him.

"You're just going to have to trust me." He said, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the restaurant and to the car.

 _Trust Me_

 **Yay! So the next chapter is going to be all about their mystery date. I'm not sure when I'll post that but I will try and do it ASAP! As always, leave reviews and I'll love you forever! Thanks again!**

 **-scenescaptured**


	9. Making Memories

**So I know it's been forever since I've updated this, I'm really sorry! Life has been crazy lately. Not really in a good way either but I won't bother you with my life problems. I hope you all had an amazing holiday and I love you all! Time for the mystery date!**

After driving for a little longer, Derek parked the car at a marina.

"Okay okay, what's going on?" Meredith asked.

He glanced over at her and smiled.

"Come on," he said, getting out and jogging over to open her door for her. He took her hand and helped her step out.

He lead her over to a row of boats and stopped in front of one.

"Derek, what's this?" She asked.

He began to pull the cover off of the boat. "My uncle used to live here. He built boats all the time in his basement. This was his and now it just sits here. There's a full moon tonight, I couldn't think of anywhere better to observe it."

"How much thought did you put into this?"

"I might have spent a few hours planning it when you were sleeping."

"How romantic," Meredith teased him and they stepped into the boat.

Derek walked over to the radio to turn on some music and got some drinks out of the mini fridge.

"Well," Meredith said, "This is very flattering and all and I'm enjoying it all, but you said that this date was going to be unlike any other, how is this so special?"

"This is just the beginning. You're going to have to tr-"

"Trust you, yeah I got it," she laughed.

He smiled at her and took a sip of his drink. "So, I know most things about you. I mean, we've been best friends for a while now. There's got to be something I don't know about you, though."

"These questions are so hard!" she said, playfully hitting him on the arm. "What do you want to know?"

"Tell me something completely random about yourself, something that no one else would know."

"Okay, let me think..." Meredith said before pausing to think. "Oh, here's something random. I can solve a Rubiks Cube."

"No way!" Derek said, clearly surprised. "Can you really?"

"Yup! Not super fast, but in about 5 minutes or so."

"That's crazy. See, I didn't know that about you. Will you show me sometime?"

Meredith smirked at him. "I'll show you that I can do it, but I'm not sure you can handle learning how to solve it."

"Oh really!" Derek laughed. "I might just have to prove you wrong on that."

"You can try, but I doubt it!"

Derek smiled, "I like a challenge."

Together they talked and laughed under the full moon. After about an hour, Derek decided that it was time to move on.

"Are you ready for the next stop?" Derek asked her.

"Of course! This is already pretty fun. How can you make it any better?"

"Tru-" Derek started.

"TRUST ME!" Meredith mocked him, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the car.

A short drive later they pulled into an empty parking lot in front of an old warehouse.

"This place looks abandoned. What are you going to do, kill me?" Meredith joked.

Derek looked over at her with a blank expression on his face.

"I was hoping you wouldn't figure that out so soon..." he said.

At this point the tone of his voice frightened Meredith. He was joking right?

All of a sudden Derek erupted into laughter earning a slap on the shoulder from Meredith.

"You jerk," she scolded him.

"Come on, lets go." He told her.

Derek pulled open an old rusty door and let them inside. It was too dark to see anything. Derek reached out his hand to the left and flipped a switch.

One by one lights flickered on to reveal what looked like fake medieval towers. It looked like the set to a movie or something like that.

Meredith looked over to her right to see a rack full of guns. Upon studying them closer, she realized that they were laser tag guns.

"Welcome to my childhood." Derek announced.

"Wow," Meredith said. "This place is incredible."

"Oh my god I think I'm in love with you." Derek blurted.

Meredith looked at him, stunned. "Uhh, what?"

"No, not like that, I mean, maybe eventually, not that I don't, well I mean-" Derek stumbled over his words, trying to backpedal. "I have never met or dated a girl who is actually into this stuff." He finally choked out, obviously embarrassed from what he had said. He knew Meredith had put up a lot of walls after what happened to her, he couldn't scare her away.

Meredith sheepishly looked at him. She gave him a small grin. "It's okay, I understand, I think," she said. She couldn't decide in her head if she liked that he was so into her or if she was scared that he would turn out to be like her last boyfriend. Given, she and Derek had become pretty close friends prior to exploring their romantic sides.

"Good," he said nervously. After a brief silence, he moved on. "Okay so you like laser tag?"

"Like it? I grew up playing it." Meredith said.

"Perfect. Want to play a few rounds?"

"Well yeah, but who owns this? Don't you have to pay? How'd you even know about this place?"

"Well when I was a kid this was my favorite hangout when I would visit my uncle in Florida. I came here every vacation. I'm pretty sure people still use it on occasion even though it looks so abandon. I'm sure the owner won't mind us being here." Derek said with a grin.

"Derek! If we're trespassing we could get in a lot of trouble!"

"Don't worry, you can run fast if we get caught right?" He said laughing.

"Well, you said to trust you right?" She mocked him as she grabbed a gun and ran off to hide.

Derek grabbed his gun and ran off to find her.

Suddenly, his back sensor went off, signaling that he had been shot from behind.

"What the- Meredith?" he said.

"Watch your back!" She yelled before disappearing behind a wall.

Derek smirked and began to think of a new strategy.

Meredith and Derek played round after round for hours until all of a sudden Meredith heard the big main door open.

"Derek?" Meredith yelled.

She walked around the corner and tried to see if she could spot Derek. It was pretty dark in the warehouse. She could barely see where she was headed.

She came around the corner, making her way towards the sound of the door. All of a sudden, Meredith was grabbed from behind. Before she could yell, a hand covered her mouth. As hard as she tried, she couldn't get a look at who had her.

"Meredith, shh," the man said, and she realized it was Derek.

"Derek, what the hell? Was that you that opened the door?" she asked.

"No it wasn't me. I think it's the owner of the laser tag place." Derek explained.

He grabbed her hand and started leading her through the course. "Follow me," he said.

They cautiously checked every corner as they worked their way towards the exit. Suddenly, Derek's foot hit some chain link fence laying on the ground, making a loud noise.

"Who's there?" A man's voice yelled.

"Run!" Derek yelled to Meredith and they bolted towards the moonlight seeping through the crack in the door. They finally made it outside and they turned to see if the man had followed. Sure enough, the man was hot on their heels.

"Go, go, go!" Derek yelled and started to run, Meredith following him and the man not too far behind.

Since Meredith and Derek were younger and they had more stamina naturally, they were able to create some space between them.

"Derek!" Meredith yelled. "Over here!" She said and ran to a stone wall about a foot taller than Derek. "Help me over." She told him.

He hoisted her up and she fell onto the other side. _Splash_. Of course there was mud on the other side. Meredith was covered head to toe in mud.

Soon after Meredith made it over, Derek came over too, landing in the same mud and also splashing Meredith with even more mud.

"Aw what the-" Derek said, examining the mud covering his clothing. He looked up to see if Meredith had as much as him.

"My clothes are ruined!" Meredith said.

"Meredith," he said, trying to hold back his laughter, but failing miserably. He started laughing uncontrollably.

"It's not funny!" She yelled at him, but soon she was laughing too.

Once they both finally stopped laughing they looked at each other for a while.

"You know," Meredith said, "This may be one of the weirdest dates I've ever been on, but it was also the best date I've ever been on."

Derek smiled at her. "I completely agree."

He leaned in to kiss her. Before their lips touched, a loud siren tore them apart.

Busted.

 **So I'm not exactly pleased with this chapter but it's okay. I'll make the next one better. I love you all and if you want to give me a late Christmas present, you could leave a review :). Toodles.**

 **-scenescaptured**


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